Wish Nation

Apr 22, 2015

Wish Wednesday: Five Wishes To Celebrate Earth Day

Since its inception in the U.S. in 1970 and its global debut in 1990, Earth Day has encouraged millions of people to become interested and devoted to environmentalism. Going green, reducing, reusing and recycling have all become mantras in the lives of children across the world, leading to conscientious interaction with the environment. Loving the planet is something that affects wish kids, too. Dozens of wish kids have wished to do something related to the earth or the environment. Here are five wishes to celebrate Earth Day.

Lucas wishes for a greenhouse

Lucas had been gardening long before his wish for a greenhouse was granted. An active member of his local 4-H club, he had been curious about nature, agriculture and gardening for quite awhile. After he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and had surgery to remove his knee, he knew that his wish had to be something related to gardening, and decided to wish for a greenhouse. Since his wish was granted in 2009, Lucas has been planting seeds, transplanting plants and selling produce and plants at his local farmer’s market. His green wish serves as a groundwork for his bright future. “I want to expand from my greenhouse someday into a nursery so I can always have something to do with plants and even make a business out of it,” Lucas says.

Kenny wishes to see snow for the first time

Weather is awesome – unfortunately Kenny hadn’t been able to experience all of the weather patterns that occur. Growing up in Maui he never had the opportunity to play in the snow or try to catch it on his tongue as it fell from the sky. Kenny wished to visit Tahoe in the winter, when there would be mountains of snow and plenty of snow-themed activities to keep him occupied. He learned to ski, got to play in the snow, have snowball fights, make snow angels and drink cup after cup of hot chocolate. He experienced the world in a new way, something that he had wanted to do for his entire life.

Alexandra wishes to go to Antarctica

If she hadn’t been punished for being talkative in school, Alexandra may have never become obsessed with Antarctica. After repeated trips to the desk reserved for talkative students, called “Antarctica”, in the corner of her third grade classroom, she developed a love for the mysterious land. When she first wished to go to Antarctica, the 15-year-old who suffers from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, got asked “why Antarctica?” a lot. She had an answer, of course. “ Antarctica is the highest, driest, windiest and coldest continent on Earth. It is the one place that hasn't been "corrupted" by humans, and it's completely isolated,” she wrote in a blog post for Wish Nation. Her love for nature runs deep, and greatly inspired the wish, she wrote, saying, “I wanted to experience nature at its peak.”

Hugo wishes to go on a safari

15-year-old Hugo battled his leukemia diagnosis with only one thing on his mind: the animals of Africa. He wanted to see them up close, learning about their habits, likes and behavioral patterns. When it came time for his wish, Hugo boarded a plane for a 10-day voyage to Namibia. When he got there, he experienced the beauty of the world through a new lens. He boarded down the dunes of the Namib desert, saw giraffes, elephants and lions and explored the Skeleton Coast. Seeing these animals in their natural habitats gave him a rekindled curiosity about animals around the world.

Peter wishes for a pop-up camping trailer

Wish kid Peter, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, loves spending time with his family. They get together and spend their time hiking, biking, fishing and as many outdoor activities as possible. His wish had to be put to something that combined his love of nature with his love for his family. And that’s just what it went to. His new pop-up camping trailer allows him to go on camping trips with his family where they can bond all day and then spend a night camping beneath the stars.

Celebrating and protecting the Earth is important, and it's refreshing to see how many children care about the future of our planet and protecting the environment.

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